Refrigerating system



June 13, 19330 J. T. MACKAN REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 51, 1931Patented June 13, 1933 unrrrio STATES PATENT OFFICE...

. JAMES T. MACKAN, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO REFRIGERATING SYSTEM Applicationfiled December 31,1931. Serial No. 584,182;

This invention relates to improvements in separation of the cooled orchilled air from the refrigerant is effected and the chilled airdischarged into a room or other area under temperature control toproduce desired sub-normal temperatures.

Such cooling systems are quite generally used in meat packingestablishments and the storage of comestible products generally. I havefound, however, that their operation in commercial practice is notefficient or effectlve 1n the matter of obtainlnguniform temperatures inall portions of the room or other'area being cooled. That 1s, withapparatus of th1s character heretofore used,

I there is a marked difference in the tempera- 3U tures adjacent tothefioors and ceilings of such rooms, with the floor regions beinggreatly lower in temperature than the ceiling regions, or again, certainintermediate regions between the floor and ceiling possess appreciableand undesired temperature differentials. Since in meat storage rooms,the products are quite often suspended from overhead supports and occupythese mtermediate regions to a large extent, itis apparent that suchtemperature variations,

particularly warm strata in the vicinity of the stored products, shouldbe avoided. I attribute these undesired temperature clifferences largelyto the fact that in previous apparatus of this character, the cold airout lets of the cooling conduits have been so located that the cold airdischarged therefrom has been directed downwardly or laterally towardand across the regions adjacent to the floor, where the cold aircollects by reason of its greater weight and is not subject to suchmovement or circulation as to pass effectively throughout all portionsof .the room to produce the desired equalization in room temperature. J

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coolingsystem employing a liquid cooling medium or'refrigerant and possessingthe arrangement and construction of the above indicated. character butwherein the outlet conduit, for expelling the cooled: or chilled airterminates in a plane contiguous to the ceiling or top wall of the roomor other area under temperature control, so that there is provided anatural gravity system of positive air circulation, the cold or chilledair travelling laterally across the room, adjacent to its ceiling andthence downwardly toward the floor regions and finally back into theairentrance of the cooling conduit. By providing for the positivecirculation of the cold or chilled air, I am enabled to avoidtheobjectionable:stratification of staticlayers heretofore present insystems of this nature and as a corollary to such circulation, myimproved system serves to partly dehumidify and eliminate excessivemoisture from the room or rooms being cooled, eliminating that wet ormoist condi tion present in most meat storage. rooms where ordinaryrefrigerating apparatus is employed. Meat products possess consid-=erable inherent moisture and, when stored, this moisture is released andaccumulates as a condensate, very much like a heavy fog in arefrigerated storage room. By the apparatus comprising the presentinvention due to should have a normal degree of moisture best adaptedfor the preservation of meat P 5,. vi 1h] For a further understanding ofthe invention, reference is to be had to the following description andthe accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing the interior of a cooling room orcompartment provided with a plurality of cooling units constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through one of said units;

Fig. 3 is a similar View taken on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 ofFig. 2, disclosing the air inlet end of the spray conduit;

Fig. 4 is a. similar view disclosing the outlet end of the air dischargeconduit;

Fig. 5 is a detailview showing a slightly modified form thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates myimproved coolingsystem in its entirety. Preferably, the cooling systemcomprises a multiplicity of cooling units arranged side by side along oradjacent to the wall of a room, compartment or other area wherein thesystem is installed for the purpose of maintaining subnormaltemperatures. A plurality of such units have been illustrated in Fig. 1arranged along one of the side walls of a room in operative positions.Since said units are of identical construction, a description of onewill suifice for all. Each unit thereof comprises a vertically disposedspray tube or cooling conduit, designated by the numeral 2, whichpreferably extends from a point located at the lower portion of the roomto the top or ceiling thereof. Usually, this conduit is of standard pipeconstruction, although it may be formed from other desired materials andmay possess any desired cross sectional configuration.

The top of each of the spray tubes is provided with a boxor casing 8,having the opposite side walls thereof formed with openings 4: which areclosable by means of sliding plates 5, by which the afiected area ofeach of the openings is regulated to control the inflow of air into thebox or casing and into the open upper end of the tube 2 associatedtherewith.

Entering the top of the casing 3 is a pipe line 6 which, above thecasing, is provided with a regulating valve 7 for the purpose ofcontrolling the flow of a liquid cooling me dium, such as water orbrine, through the pipe line. The pipe line terminates within the openupper end of the tube 2 and is provided within said tube, with a nozzleor spray head 8 by which the cooling medium or refrigerant is forced ina finely divided form as a mist or spray downwardly under considerablepressure through the interior of the tube or conduit, the finely dividedform of the cooling medium providing for extended. surface contact withthe air drawn into the upper end of the tube by the operation of thespray head or nozzle 8, it being understood that the liquid refrigerantor cooling medium is supplied to the spray head or nozzle under desiredpressures.

As the sprayed or jetted refrigerant passes downwardly through the tube2, the air drawn into the tube moves concurrently therewith so thateffective heat interchange takes place between the cooling medium andthe air, resulting in the lowering of the temperature of the air to adesired degree. The lower portion of each tube 2 is connected with abottom fitting 9 which ordinarily is threaded into a return pipe 10, bywhich the liquid cooling agent or refrigerant is returned to a workingtank (not shown) in which the refri erant may be re-cooled and returnedunder pump pressures to the pipe line or lines 6.

Intermediately of its ends, each tube 2 is provided with an angularlyextending upwardly directed branch 11, there being a baliie 12 providedin the tube contiguous to the point of juncture of the branch 11 withthe tube 2, whereby the refrigerant spray stream is deflected from theentrance of the branch 11, permitting the cooled or chilled air toreadily separate from the liquid and pass upwardly, under some pressure,through the branch tube 11 toward the outlet of the latter.

In most of the prior systems of this character, although I am aware ofthe disclosures contained in the British patent to Hendel 23,497, Oct.31, 1904, the cooling medium upon leaving the discharge branch has beendirected downwardly or at least laterally across the floor region. It isone of the features of the present invention that the discharge or airoutlet end of the air discharging conduits or branches 11 shallterminate contiguous to the ceiling of a refrigerating area and, asshown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, it will be observed that the branch 11terminates above the box or casing 3 and is equipped with an adjustableelbow 13, rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, and wherein theoutlet of the elbow 13 extends horizontally and is located immediatelybelow the ceiling of the room.

By virtue of this arrangement, the cooled air discharged from the elbow13 is directed outwardly and laterally across the room adj acent to itsceiling, the air settling toward the floor, preventing the formation ofstrata or blankets of varying temperatures and insuring uniformtemperatures throughout all portions of the room. After the air losestemperature, it is returned by this system of gravity circulation to theinlet box or casing 3 where it is again drawn into a spray tube andre-cooled. If there is excessive moisture in the room, arising from thecomestible products therein contained, the circulation of air serves toreadily pick up the released moisture and transmit it to the spraytubes, Where the moisture is condensed and becomes a part of the coolingmedium, being removed from the room through the outlet pipe 10. Thisserves to keep the atmosphere of the cooling room or compartment in aclear condition, avoiding specifically that dripping wet conditionordinarily prevalent in meat storage rooms where stagnant circulation ispresent. By removing excessive moisture, I am enabled to keep meats inbetter condition for longer periods of time by preventing moldformation. Pipes or tubes 2 and 11 may be covered with a suitable heatinsulating material to increase as far as possible the efliciency of theheat exchanger and to preserve the life of the metallic structure of thepipes. The elbow fittings 13 may be provided with longitudinally disposdextensions 14 of dif ferent lengths, so that the cooled air outlets ofthe apparatus may be positioned most advantageously with respect to theparticular configuration of the room or compartment being cooled. Sincethe extensions 14 are rotatable about substantially vertical axes, itwill be apparent that considerable latitude is provided in the matter ofpositioning the dis charge ends of the extensions 14.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the present inventioncomprises an efficient and practical cooling system composed of but fewand simple parts, capable of op erating for extended periods of timewithout repair, adjustment or replacement. The temperatures which obtainin the cooled areas may be readily controlled by varying the quantity ofthe liquid refrigerant forced from the jets or spray nozzles 7. It is ofcourse within the range of the invention to employ thermostaticallyoperating means by which a con-' stant temperature condition can beobtained without necessitating manual control. By the provision of theupright branches or risers 11, together with the lateral extensionsthereof, the brine or refrigerant is prevented from being carried intothe room by the air currents, as the refrigerant during this long travelthrough the outlet pipe will become separated from the air and permittedto be drawn back into the lower end of the pipes or tubes 2. While Ihave described what I consider to be the preferred form of theinvention, nevertheless it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to the exact details of construction shown in the drawing or tothe specific operation set forth, but is subject to such variations andmodifications as may be said to fall fairly within the scope of thefollowing claims.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. In a cooling system, the combination with a room having a pluralityof cooling units arranged adjacentone'wallthereof,

each; of said unitscomprisinga vertically disposed conduit having an-airinlet provided at its upper end, a spray nozzle; positioned. in

the upper end of said conduit and through which is forced under-pressurealiquid refrigerant, said nozzle serving to force the refrigerant intosaid conduit in a'finely divided mist-like form and to draw air throughsaid intake and into commingled engagein a plane substantially with thatof the inlet end of said air intake, and a horizontal conduit extensionprovided at the upper end of said outlet conduit arranged adjacent theceiling of said room, said conduit extension being mounted forhorizontal swinging movement.

2. In a cooling system, the combination with a room having'a pluralityof cooling units arranged along one of the Walls thereof, each of saidunits comprising a vertically disposed conduit having an air inletprovided in the upper end thereof, a spray nozzle positioned in theupper end of said conduit and through which is forced under pressure aliquid refrigerant effecting thereby an induced flow of air through saidconduit into intimate commingled relationship with the spray liquid, avertically disposed air outlet conduit connected with the lower portionof said first mentioned conduit, the upper end of said outlet conduitterminating substantially in the plane of the air inlet opening of thefirst mentioned conduit and a horizontally disposed conduit extensionconnecting the upper end of said outlet conduit, the horizontal conduitextensions of said units being of variable length and capable of beingadjusted in a horizontal plane to distribute the cooled air at differentpoints in the cooling area of said room.

3. In combination with a cooling room, a cooling system including aplurality of cooling units arranged along one wall thereof, each of theunits being formed to include a vertically disposed conduit having anair inlet opening provided in theupper end thereof, a nozzle disposed atthe upper end of said conduit for discharging a liquid refrigerant underpressure into and through said conduit effecting thereby an induced flowof air through said conduit into intimate commingled relationship withthe sprayed liquid, a liquid outlet at the lower end of said conduit, avertically disposed air outlet conduit connected with said first conduitabove said liquid outlet and having its upper end terminating adjacentthe ceiling of said room, and a horizontally disposed conduit branchconnecting the upper end of said outlet con- JAMES T. MACKAN.

